N. Valarmathi, voice behind Chandrayaan-3 launch countdown passes away

Valarmathi was part of the range operations program office at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, and had done a series of satellite launches

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist N. Valarmathi, who lent her voice to the countdown announcement to India’s historic lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3 on July 14, passed away on Saturday following a cardiac arrest.

Valarmathi was part of the range operations program office at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, and had done a series of satellite launches.

ISRO director, Dr. PV Venkitakrishnan, sharing the news on X (formerly Twitter), wrote, “The voice of Valarmathi Madam will not be there for the countdowns of future missions of ISRO from Sriharikotta. Chandrayan 3 was her final countdown announcement. An unexpected demise. Feel so sad. Pranams!”

The voice of Valarmathi Madam will not be there for the countdowns of future missions of ISRO from Sriharikotta. Chandrayan 3 was her final countdown announcement. An unexpected demise . Feel so sad.Pranams! pic.twitter.com/T9cMQkLU6J

— Dr. P V Venkitakrishnan (@DrPVVenkitakri1) September 3, 2023

Valarmathi was the project director of RISAT-1, India’s first indigenously developed radar imaging satellite, launched successfully in 2012.

Valarmathi joined ISRO in 1984 and was involved in several key satellite missions, including Insat 2A, IRS IC, IRS ID, and TES.

She was also the first person to receive the Abdul Kalam Award, instituted in 2015 by the government of Tamil Nadu in honour of the great scientist and former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

Born in Arivalur, Tamil Nadu, Valarmathi did her schooling at Nirmala Girls Higher Secondary School. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore, and did her master’s degree in electronics and communications from Anna University.

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